Malhotra and the three men had targeted Sebastien Marcaillou, whom she had known for the last five years on April 16,” said a senior police officer.

Police said Marcaillou had first met Malhotra, who had been posing as Sarika Choudhary, on a visit to India while staying at the Park Hotel in Connaught Place.

“During his previous visit to India, he had even stayed at her residence in Friends’ Colony. They were in continuous touch. He decided to give her a call on reaching Delhi on April 16,” said the officer.

Police said Marcaillou fixed-up a meeting at his hotel for the same evening.

“Sarika reached his hotel in her car but refused to go to his room and told him they should go someplace else instead.

They boarded her car and she began to drive through an isolated patch, when he noticed that their car was being followed by three strangers on a motorcycle,” the officer said.

According to police, Malhotra continued to drive even after the men waylaid the couple’s vehicle. “They began searching his pockets and took away his wallet. After the robbery, he was pushed out of the car at a deserted place near the Golf Links area,” said the officer.

“During questioning, she confessed to her role in the incident and told us that she had decided to perpetrate such incidents for easy money. After she met Naresh, a bouncer at a restaurant and was later introduced to Amit and Yash, she decided to target her former customers — especially those who paid her less than she charged for her services,” the officer added.